Record Reviews

VIKTOR TOTH ~ CLIMBING WITH MOUNTAINS BMC 132 (Barcode: 5998309301322) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2007 This is a brilliant album by Hungarian saxophonist / composer Viktor TothFind albums by this artist, one of the most prominent young European Improvised Music advocates, who has been very active in the last few years releasing several important recordings and performing many concerts. The album documents the first meeting between Toth and the legendary American drummer Hamid DrakeFind albums by this artist, which resulted in recording this great music. Of the 11 tracks present on this album, six are recorded in a trio format with the excellent bassist Matyas SzandaiFind albums by this artist, and the remaining five in a quartet format with trumpeter Ferenc KovacsFind albums by this artist. Toth composed ten pieces and the remaining one was composed by the bassist. The music is remarkably melodic and often even lyrical, which is not something one expects form a Free Jazz setting, but Toth is simply a romantic at heart and his melodies cut deeply. Drake´s phenomenal playing is trimmed accordingly and he displays his ability to stay overtly melodic, which he rarely does elsewhere. The bassist does a perfect job every time and complements Drake as if they played together since years. The trumpeter, who is also a very experienced musician in the Avant-Garde circles, contributes some superb licks as well. The atmosphere of this recording fondly reminds the early Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist quartet with Don CherryFind albums by this artist, especially in view of the obvious joy and personal satisfaction displayed by the musicians involved. The listener should be able to enjoy this music even if his experience with Free Form is somewhat limited, as these performances are so overwhelming that all barriers are immediately removed. Connoisseurs of the great Eastern European Jazz should grab this gem on sight, satisfaction guaranteed!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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VIKTOR TOTH ~ POPPING BOPPING BMC 191 (Barcode: 5998309301919) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011 This is a great album by an international Free Jazz quartet led by Hungarian saxophonist / composer Viktor TothFind albums by this artist, one of the most prominent young European Improvised Music activists. The quartet also includes Belgian trumpeter Bart MarisFind albums by this artist, a well known figure on the European scene, superb Hungarian bassist Matyas SzandaiFind albums by this artist, who regularly plays with Toth and Turkish drummer Robert IkizFind albums by this artist. This live recording captures the quartet performing six original compositions, all by Toth. The players are all exceptional and the chemistry between them is second to none. Again choosing the early Ornette ColemanFind albums by this artist quartet with Don CherryFind albums by this artist as a model, which seems to suit his music perfectly both instrumentally and aesthetically, Toth presents ambitious music, which somehow remains accessible. This is a rare quality, which very few Free Jazz / Improvised Music protagonists are able to create as consistently as Toth, as evident on several of his previous recordings, which deserves to be truly admired. His compositions also retain the quality, which marks his work from the early days, which should keep his followers satisfied. Overall this is another first-rate album by first-class musicians, which should be welcomed by music connoisseurs everywhere. Warmly recommended!

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VIKTOR TOTH ~ TARTIM BMC 150 (Barcode: 5998309301506) ~ HUNGARY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 This is an excellent album by Hungarian saxophonist / composer Viktor TothFind albums by this artist, one of the most prominent young European Improvised Music advocates, who has been very active in the last few years releasing several important recordings and performing many concerts. The album, recorded live in Budapest, includes 13 tracks with original music, of which Toth composed the first nine and the remaining four are collective improvisations. The music is presented gradually, starting with a trio format (the first five tracks), where Toth is accompanied by the excellent bassist Matyas SzandaiFind albums by this artist and the legendary American drummer Hamid DrakeFind albums by this artist. Next the trio is expanded to a quartet with the addition of the trumpeter / violinist Ferenc KovacsFind albums by this artist (on the next four track) and finally the group is expanded into septet with the addition of saxophonist Mihaly DreschFind albums by this artist, viola player Adam JavorkaFind albums by this artist and another drummer Gyorgy JeszenszkyFind albums by this artist, which takes the music into the group improvisation realm. In spite of its adventurous nature, the music is quite straightforward and often retains a strong melodic element, which makes it accessible to a large Jazz-loving audience well beyond Free Jazz / Improvised Music purists. The performances are excellent, with Toth displaying a complete command of his instrument as well as fruitful imagination. The rhythm section is brilliant with Drake dazzling, as usual, with his incredible musicality. This is something people not aware of how good Eastern European Jazz is should definitely try out at the earliest opportunity!

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VIKTOR TOTH / AURA TRIO ~ HAVE NO FEAR FONO 463 (Barcode: 5998048546329) ~ HUNGARY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is an album by Hungarian Jazz saxophonist Viktor TothFind albums by this artist and his Aura TrioFind albums by this artist, which also includes cimbalom player Miklos LukacsFind albums by this artist and bassist Gyorgy OrbanFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Toth, recorded live at the Opus Jazz club in Budapest. The music is a fascinating and explosive modern Jazz adventure, which combines Coltranesque wall of sound improvisation with the Folkloristic background of the cimbalom, which results in a highly original aural experience. Toth is an extremely passionate player, able to produce wave after wave of explosive improvisations, which although being deeply rooted in the Free Jazz tradition, always include a strong melodic contents, and as such deliver a very powerful message. The sound of the trio is very “different” and takes a while to soak in, especially to listeners unfamiliar with the highly specific ring of the cimbalom, but the patience definitely pays off as the result is truly magical. Toth is one of the most interesting East European improvisers with an impressive recording legacy and highly deserved recognition among his peers, and as this album proves beyond any doubt a musician worth following. Overall, this is a wonderful piece modern Jazz, which bursts with energy and talent and for people unfamiliar with the Hungarian Jazz scene should be quite an eye (ear) opener. Highly recommended!

Updated: 29/08/2021Posted: 29/08/2021

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PIOTR WOJTASIK ~ TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN INDYGO 002 (Barcode: 5907222872017) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2018 This is an album by the veteran Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer / bandleader / educator Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist, recorded by an international sextet, which features alongside Wojtasik also Hungarian saxophonist / flautist Viktor TothFind albums by this artist, Polish saxophonist Sylwester OstrowskiFind albums by this artist, Dutch bassist Joris TeepeFind albums by this artist and American (resident in Europe) pianist Bobby FewFind albums by this artist and drummer John BetschFind albums by this artist. The album, which was recorded in France, presents eight original compositions, all by Wojtasik. The music explores the roots of Jazz and stretches between Blues influenced early Jazz through familiar Bebop mainstream and towards more open / Free oriented music, but stays within well defined boundaries. The compositions are diverse and interesting, clearly showing Wojtasik as a mature and focused composer, who is able to weave nice melodic themes and expand them into a fully structured ensemble pieces. Both Wojtasik and Ostrowski consistently drift towards American Jazz and obviously prefer to play and record with American musicians, but they do it on an equal footing with the Americans, completely devoid of the inferiority complex that characterized whole generations of Polish Jazz musicians for decades. The music on this album clearly shows that they are able to stand shoulder to shoulder with their cohorts. The album is full of strong personal statements by all the participants, as appropriate for such endeavor, with the leader exploring his extensive arsenal of trumpet magic, moving with ease between raw and fully powered statements and delicate balladry. His unique and very personal style remains as one of the most distinctive voices of Polish Jazz trumpet, equaled by but a very few. Few is also a charmer with his highly idiosyncratic piano vistas, which can be heard all along the album´s duration and come to a climax in the short solo piano piece showcasing his abilities and dedicated to him by the leader / composer. The excellent rhythm section is a bastion of strength and stability which keeps the music in check and moving along the desired chronometry, completely at ease with whatever is required at each given moment. Joris gets also a solo spot in another short piece dedicated to him. An artistry of time and pulse… Overall this is an excellent album by any standard and although it offers contemporary Jazz of the American flavor, rather than European Jazz which one expects to hear from European Jazz musicians, it is perfectly executed, interesting and inspiring, full of great ideas and obviously highly engaging. Wojtasik deserves admiration and praise for consistency, which characterizes his entire career, and most importantly for doing his thing regardless of trends and fads of fashion. Keep swinging Maestro!

Updated: 09/11/2018Posted: 09/11/2018

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PIOTR WOJTASIK ~ TRIBUTE TO AKWARIUM INDYGO 001 (Barcode: 5907222872000) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a sensational album by veteran Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Piotr WojtasikFind albums by this artist recorded with a large ensemble which comprises of some of Poland´s top Jazz musicians and a few guests from outside of Poland. In addition to the leader who plays trumpet and flugelhorn the other musicians are: trumpeter Sebastian SoldrzynskiFind albums by this artist, shakuhachi and other wind instruments player Igor PietraszewskiFind albums by this artist, saxophonists Viktor TothFind albums by this artist (Hungary) and Marcin KaletkaFind albums by this artist, keyboardists Leszek MozdzerFind albums by this artist and Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Marek KadzielaFind albums by this artist, bassist Darek OleszkiewiczFind albums by this artist, drummer Eric AllenFind albums by this artist (USA resident in Poland) and percussionist Jakub MiarczynskiFind albums by this artist. Two female vocalists are featured on one of the tunes. The album presents a five part suite composed and arranged by Wojtasik and dedicated to the memory of the legendary Warsaw Jazz club Akwarium (active between 1977 and 2000), which used to be the Mecca of Polish Jazz in the past. A sixth bonus track is also included, which offers an alternate version of one of the suite´s parts. The music was recorded at the RecPublica Studios and engineered by Lukasz OlejarczykFind albums by this artist, who as usual stood up to the challenge. I recently had the opportunity to hear this music performed live at its premiere concert at the Silesian Jazz Festival in Katowice, with a slightly different lineup, and the impact of the music was truly astounding. This studio version is of course much tamer and orderly, so in some respects it sounds quite differently, but of course it is no less remarkable. Wojtasik managed to combine several sub-genres of the Jazz idiom into one coherent piece of music, which presents a kaleidoscope of modern Jazz, pointing to its many sources from Bebop through Jazz-Rock Fusion to electronics. Based on strong melodic themes but allowing a lot of freedom to the individual musicians to explore and probe, this is a wonderful example of modern Mainstream Jazz, which manages to be fascinating, unexpected and searching. The individual performances are all great, as expected from this level of musicians. Kadziela´s guitar parts are the nicest surprise as he manages to transform the last part of the suite into a modern day "Bitches BrewFind albums with this title" ambiance, which should make Miles DavisFind albums by this artist happily turn in his grave. Mozdzer´s synthesizer parts are somewhat tedious, especially in comparison to what Pawel TomaszewskiFind albums by this artist managed to come up with during the concert. Of course Dominik Wania plays some stunning piano parts and it is interesting to hear him in a large ensemble setting. But overall everybody plays their heart out and the result is simply superb. It is great to see (and hear) that Wojtasik is still in great shape as a player / composer / bandleader and as a friend I wish him many years of good health and creativity. He can certainly be proud of his achievement here and I look forward to hear more of his work soon. His blessed work as an educator at the Katowice Music Academy is of course no less important, but seeing him play is a true Jazz experience. Te old lion is still capable of a mighty roar, which the younger lions are happy to return. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 30/12/2017Posted: 30/12/2017

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